Summit

Summit: An After-school Club

A group of 20 students who are 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th graders from John Dibert Community School will participate in the club.

We began with 14 third and fourth graders in 2012. Those students are now our fifth and sixth graders. Some of the original participants are no longer in Summit because of school transfers and family issues.

Our goal is to have these same kids in the club, year after year, through the 12th grade, with the hope to expand and have more kids each year.

Thus we will be able to invest 9-10 years of our lives with these children and help them solidify their development and foster a future filled with hope and opportunity.

Visit the summitkidzone.org blog to see photos from Summit field trips and activities.

The Need for Summit

Two things that can help under-resourced children move into successful futures are education and relationships.

People learn the skills necessary to function in the class in which he/she is raised. However, schools and businesses operate from middle class norms and social rules. Without an understanding of middle class norms and social rules, students cannot be successful.

Fortunately, educators (Dibert) and mentors (Summit) can educate students about these “hidden rules.”

Research has shown that proficiency in reading in third grade is a crucial marker in a child’s educational development.

If a child cannot read at grade-level by the end of 3rd grade, there is an 80% chance that child will NOT graduate from high school.

By targeting the younger children, 9-10 year olds, we can help put them on the path to successful academic achievement and adulthood.

TRACKS

Many children who are under-resourced do not have a strong sense of hopefulness because they lack opportunitiesand the ability to make choices about their lives.

In an effort to foster hope, Tracks will infuse both opportunity and choice into the lives of participating students.

Through Tracks, students will be offered choices and opportunities to engage in a variety of games, activities and programs.

LEAP Tutoring

Students who struggle academically and have to repeat a grade are at a higher risk of later dropping out of school.

All Louisiana 4th grade students must pass the LEAP test in order to be promoted to the 5th grade.

The club will provide LEAP-specific tutoring to prepare them for Language Arts, math, science and social studies tests.

Reading Skills Development

Students who fall behind grade-level in reading struggle not only in language arts, but in other subjects as well.

Our aim is to have 100% of the children reading at or above their grade level at the end of their first year.

Summit emphasizes a One-on-One reading-buddy program that will allow the kids to have their own reading buddy and a choice of appropriate reading level based material.

Reading-buddy program will give them the opportunity to develop their own reading plan to maximize their reading and comprehension skills.

Field Trips

Often, under-resourced students do not have exposure to much of what the business and working world has to offer.

On field trips, students will get the opportunity to see and experience various work environments for the first time in their lives.

They will understand how education is relevant to their future in the workplace and explore the world around them.

Hidden Rules: How the World Works

An individual brings with him/her the hidden rules of the class in which he/she was raised. Most schools and businesses operate from middle class norms and use the hidden rules of the middle class.

For children to be successful, we must understand their hidden rules and teach the rules that will make them successful at school and work.

Managing Money

Art of Negotiation

Bridging Social Capital

Setting Goals

The Worlds is Gray

Respecting Space/Boundaries

It’s All Here: Character Development. Traits and Life Lessons Learned from Sports

RESILIENCE- the ability to recover from failures

SPORTSMANSHIP – how one acts whether the game is won or lost.

HEART – the combination of courage and compassion

TEAMSMENSHIP – providing positive motivation and inspiration to all on the team

INTEGRITY- the combination of honesty and sincerity

COMMITMENT- persistence with a purpose

GRIT- determination in the face of hardship

Social Skills/Problem Solving

We introduced the Second Step character-building designed to teach the children empathy, emotion management, problem-solving, and self-regulation and provide opportunity for the kids to put their skills into practice. The kids are involved in role-play, video modeling and receive coaching through various scenarios.